Statement of Charles Komanoff

Independence Plaza Modifications Scoping Meeting, NYC Dept of City Planning

Statement read via Zoom ▪ June 25, 2026

I have lived since 1994 on Duane Street near Greenwich Street. My kids attended PS 150 within
Independence Plaza. My bedroom is less than 300 feet from the site of the proposed new tower.
Nevertheless, I support and look forward to its construction and its integration into the
fabric of Tribeca, for three somewhat interconnected reasons.

First, increasing New York’s housing supply will help lower rents for all. It’s Econ 101:
adding supply lowers prices. We’ve seen it in Austin, TX, and in Minneapolis – St. Paul, MN.
We’ve also seen its mirror image over the past 18 months in NYC, with congestion pricing
reducing vehicle volumes by raising the price to drive into Manhattan.

Second, adding a thousand or so new homes and the two thousand or so people who will inhabit
them will expand Tribeca’s customer base, helping stores and restaurants thrive.

Third, adding population in New York City, especially in lower Manhattan — the densest and
most transit-rich community in the United States — will reduce carbon and other greenhouse
gas emissions, relative to that same population living in the suburbs or Florida, South
Carolina or Texas. The new tower, in other words, is a climate solution no less than are
congestion pricing, urban bicycling and solar panels.

I ask that the environmental assessment analyze those three classes of prospective benefits:
enhanced housing supply and affordability, more prosperous businesses, and lesser
climate-damaging emissions.

Finally, along with others who have spoken today, I urge that the mandated affordable
units be located within the new project rather than off-site. I also note that helping
more people live in New York will help stanch the growing political power of America’s red
states over blue.

Thank you for the opportunity to be heard.